The ABCs of Natsu and Lisanna
by Shedauwz
Summary: A collection of the memories of two people who knew each other since childhood. They fell in love, they were broken, life happened... and magic. Yet this was not the end for them... these are the twenty-six recollections of the beauty and the dragon which held her heart.
1. A for Acceptance

**_A/N:_**_ Yo! Dauwz here with a new story. Yeah, I know, I should update my current on-going ones, not write new ones. But hell, I couldn't resist. Most of you might think I'm a Naza writer, but actually my favorite pairing is NaLi. Sucks right? No, it doesn't, shut up. NaLi is epic. Ain't that just an awesome AN? Hah._

* * *

_**The ABCs of Natsu and Lisanna**_

* * *

_**A for Acceptance**_

* * *

A pink haired teenager sat under a tree, his hands covering his eyes as he seemed to be pondering about something. His head shot upwards as he leaned onto the tree and glanced at the sky. His bloodshot eyes gazed at the rustling tree's leaves with sorrow before he furrowed his eyebrows. He had to cover his eyes again to hide the tears that were threatening to leak out.

He couldn't believe this. It wasn't true. She was... she died. No, that couldn't happen. Mira was lying. Mira was definitely lying. Those thoughts ran through his innocent mind before he pulled out a good portion of his own hair, punishing himself for his own train of thought.

No way in hell would Mira lie about her own sister being dead. But there was no way in hell Elfman would kill his own sister either. This just didn't make sense. A week ago the Strauss siblings left on a job and, next thing he knew, only two of the three returned a day later. It was like a nightmare. His childhood friend, a person who he thought was closest to his heart and who had promised to stay with him through everything they went, Lisanna Strauss, was dead.

His head shot upwards again as an animalistic roar escaped his throat. He didn't know what or who to believe, but the truth remains; Lisanna didn't return. He didn't know what he should do. Should he accept this? What other choice did he have? He already scoured half of Fiore in hopes of finding her, yet he didn't. He couldn't. She was gone, there was no other explanation.

He didn't know what to feel. Sadness? Sorrow? Sure, it was there. But if, just maybe, Lisanna was actually dead… what would she want for the pinkette? What would she want for Natsu? For _her _Natsu. That question was as obvious as Happy's sad expression as he stared at Natsu while flying towards him.

"Natsu…" The blue exceed muttered solemnly as he landed on the pinkette's head.

"Aye, Happy… I know." The teen whispered back as he pulled his knees towards him and hugged them close to his body, "I know."

A million thoughts per second must have been running through the Dragon-Slayer's head. He didn't know what to do. He was… _lost_. For the first time in his life, Natsu Dragneel, son of the great fire dragon, Igneel, was lost in his own head. Even he understood that he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed and that getting lost in his own simple-minded way of thinking was close to impossible, but… there he was, sitting under a tree with a sad expression and a depressing aura surrounding him, trying to think what he should do next as he ponders the death of his childhood friend and possibly the girl he had grown to love.

And just then a question popped up into his head. A question he had been asking himself ever since he had heard of her passing. The question that had been gnawing at him for the past week. How should he deal with this? What was next? It's not like his life was over, but a good portion of it was, quite literally, ripped out of him without him being able to do anything about it.

Should he _accept _this?

What other choice did he have? He couldn't stay sad about this forever and he knew, from the bottom of his heart, that Lisanna wouldn't want him to stay sad either. No, she would want Natsu to live on as the cheerful flame of hope that belonged to Fairy Tail and brightened up its sky.

Yes, that was what he should do. Even in supposed death, Lisanna still managed to brighten up Natsu's mood, even if by a little.

Natsu patted the sobbing exceed on his head lightly, making the feline glance down at him curiously, "Come on Happy, we need to do something." Natsu said with a small smile on his lips.

Happy stared at his foster-father in confusion before sniffing some air and burying his blue face into Natsu's hair, effectively making the pinkette frown. He sighed, figuring that Happy must be taking this as hard as him, before he slowly stood up, careful to not drop the little creature. His eyes became serious before he slowly nodded to himself and went towards where Magnolia resided, content in doing what he decided to do.

* * *

A girl with short white hair stared at the tree-house like structure that was Fairy Tail's headquarters. Her blue eyes fixated on the fairy-like emblem adorning the building, making her think that the illusion was real, but she knew better; she knew that this Fairy Tail, Edolas' Fairy Tail, wasn't the one she was from. Sure, it might be real, but it was not her home. It was not _her _Fairy Tail.

Walking towards the building, Lisanna thought about everything that had happened and she still couldn't quite understand it. Her brother, Elfman, had lost control to his Beast Soul and ended up attacking her and her sister, Mirajane. In an effort to protect her family, Lisanna was caught in the crossfire. All she remembered were Mirajane's tears and a weird blue flash that made her end up here, in Edolas, where everything was the same as Earthland, but different all the while.

The people here… all of them were here, minus Erza, but everyone was… different. Her family, her friends, no one was the same. Where was she? She already understood that she was in a separate world from Earthland, but how did she get here? It didn't make any sense. And what of her home? What of her family?

What of Natsu? _Her _Natsu?

There was a Natsu here as well, but it wasn't the Natsu she knew. Sure, he might slightly resemble him while in a vehicle, but other than that he was nothing close to him. She chuckled at the thought; the two Natsus were completely different. It's ironic really. One could handle anything besides vehicles; the other can't handle anything besides vehicles.

Still, she had to wonder; if she was here, who was taking her place in Earthland? Or was she dead there? How did Mira and Elfman take it? How did Natsu take it? The white haired girl couldn't even imagine the pain she must be causing them and the thought alone made her want to cry.

She didn't want this. She wanted to go home

But how? How could she accomplish it when magic was non-existent here? She got here by magic, that much was obvious, but how can she go back when she can't use magic herself? Should she let herself hope? Should she let herself believe that Natsu would come and save her like he had done so many times in the past? Should she accept this and move on with her life? Her new life in Edolas?

She smiled faintly when she thought of what Natsu would probably tell her if he could. He would tell her to stay strong and keep fighting, no matter the cost. He would tell her to live on in the most explosive way he could, one of the things he was famous for.

Would she be able to live here? So many questions in such a short period of time. It was making her head spin. Not to mention that she was still confused by this whole world. It was just so different from her own.

_'A complete opposite_.'

Lisanna still found it surprising though. Natsu, with his simple-mindedness, always managed to get her out of any tough situation. And that happened again. She knew what she needed to do just by thinking of him and what he would tell her.

Be strong and continue to live on. Yes, that was what she would do. She made her choice when she got the stamp of Edolas' Fairy Tail and she is making this choice again just as she enters her new guild's headquarters.

* * *

Natsu stared solemnly at the gravestone he had just placed near the straw hut he and Lisanna had built when they were kids. The place where they warmed up Happy's egg and the place where Lisanna told Natsu she wants to be his wife in the future. He couldn't believe all the memories swarming his mind. He almost regretted doing this just because of them and how they made him feel.

He stared at the tombstone and constantly reread its contents in his mind. The pinkette glanced down and saw Happy weeping tears while holding onto his trousers. He crouched down and picked the exceed up into his arms, "It's okay Happy. Everything's going to be fine." He whispered, but frowned when he realized that that had only made it worse as the feline's crying intensified.

His gaze became stern when he read Lisanna's name and looked away. He couldn't let himself be down forever. He couldn't because he knew she wouldn't want that. Everything that happened up until now… he had to accept it, whether he wanted to or not.

The only thing he couldn't accept was his own weakness and inability to tell her everything he thought about her. If only he could right his wrongs, he would do so in a heartbeat.


	2. B for Blindsided

_**A/N: **Well wasn't that fast? Heh, yeah, quite unusual for me. I thought about something; this story is supposed to be a challenge of sorts, so why not challenge myself to update this story once per day? I'm trying to accomplish this at the moment but I don't know how long I'll be able to keep this up. I'll try my best though.  
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A thanks to all of you people who reviewed, faved and liked. It really does mean a lot knowing that people actually read the stuff I post and that they actually like it!  
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And to **Nightlingbolt**: Hah! I was? I don't... Yeah, I was. Eh, what would you call an ABCs story besides, uhh... ABCs? Heh. Anyway, I won't lie, your story really was the one that inspired this... that and my insanely stupid imagination._

_Anyway, enough of me. On to the chapter!_

* * *

_**The ABCs of Natsu and Lisanna**_

* * *

_**B for Blindsided**_

* * *

Natsu stared at everyone around him awkwardly. The people surrounding him were the same people from his guild, yet different. Hell, he even saw his own copy, but this one seemed like some kind of wimp he'd never want to be in his life. He noticed that this world's Lucy and Levy went from best friends to taking his and Gray's spot as the guild's number one rivals. That actually made him laugh.

But what surprised the pinkette the most was the appearance of the white haired girl he thought was long lost to him. Lisanna Strauss. Seeing her... it just struck a chord within him. He felt something he hadn't felt in years. He himself didn't know how to describe it. But he wasn't sure about this.

Sure, he felt happy. No, he felt ecstatic. The only thing that kept him from actually pouncing at her was the thought that this Lisanna might actually be from Edolas… well, and Edolas Lucy with her annoying grappling skills. Where the hell she learned that, Natsu would never know.

The Slayer watched the white haired girl with regret in his eyes. He was sad that this Lisanna wasn't _his _Lisanna, but he felt angry with himself for even thinking about ripping her from her family in Edolas. Yes, Natsu Dragneel, in his deranged state of mind, thought about screwing this entire situation over and taking Lisanna back home. He didn't know how or when, but he would have, until he came back to his senses and realized that the guild needed his help, like he did so many times before. He was going to return the favor to his guild mates, to his family.

He saw her leaving the building and sighed solemnly. He didn't know what to feel after seeing her… clone? He didn't even know if you could call her that. Was she really a simple copy though? She was the same Lisanna he remembered; the only difference was that she was older. Other than that, her character, her basic appearance, the way she spoke and interacted with the guild, everything was the same. Hell, even her scent was identical to the Lisanna he knew!

He sighed again; he couldn't do it. He couldn't force himself to take Lisanna from Edolas' Mirajane and Elfman. He wanted to, Gods almighty did he want to. He just couldn't. Natsu wasn't that kind of person who would make other people suffer because of his own selfish needs. Although he wished, with all his being, that he could allow himself one single mistake.

The pinkette shook his head furiously. No, he couldn't think about these things now. He had to focus on reviving Earthland's Fairy Tail from its lacrima state and get everyone back home safely. He couldn't let himself think about anything else.

Yes, he would save his friends, only then would he allow himself to think about anything else. Just like it has always been.

* * *

Lisanna leaned on the guild's large double doors as she exited the building. She couldn't believe her eyes. There couldn't be anyway that what just happened was true. Natsu was here. He had come to her. He had come to save her.

At first, she had thought this Natsu was Dragion and that he had finally manned up. She heard the newly arrival mutter her name in complete and utter shock – something that surprised her – before he pounced on her – something that surprised her even more. Luckily for her Lucy was there to stop him. She couldn't tell the difference at first, but she definitely had a hunch. Something about Natsu was… different. Hell, she wasn't even surprised that something was different anymore. _Everything _in Edolas ended up different one way or the other.

What really made her realize that this Natsu was the real one were the things he had said. Besides the fact that he openly admitted being from another world, the single sentence that he said made her heart ache.

'_I'm gonna save my friends, no matter what!_'

Hearing him say that made Lisanna rush out of the guild as fast as she could. No, she couldn't reveal that she was Earthland's Lisanna. She wanted to, but she couldn't. The white haired girl, after spending two years of her life in Edolas, had decided to live the rest of it here, with her friends and family. She couldn't leave. She didn't let herself cause her close friends more pain. She wouldn't allow herself to cause Mira and Elfman more grief.

Lisanna would not be found. She would live the rest of her life in Edolas and she would not allow herself to be found out.

* * *

Lisanna lifted her head up and looked around. It was raining and the scenery seemed… nostalgic. No flying islands or rivers, no weird animals, nothing magical at all. But, even if it did look that way, she could feel a lot more magical power radiating from this land than she could in Edolas.

Saying goodbye to her Edolas' brother and sister… it was one of the hardest things she ever had to do in her life. Even if they were counterparts, the white haired girl still saw them as her family. But, even after all that, she was happy.

She was happy because she was finally in Earthland. She was _home_.

Before she could comprehend what happened, her hands were bound by what looked like a small black exceed. She thought she could get free but was surprised by the little creature's strength. The black feline drug her through the forest, constantly sending a glare her way to indicate that she was not to struggle. Eventually, they entered a clearing where she managed to hear voices. Familiar voices.

Next thing she knew, she was flung into the middle of the group. With a groan, she surveyed her surroundings and her eyes locked with a pink haired fire-breathing mage's onyx eyes. At that instant, her heart almost stopped. She couldn't believe this was happening.

Almost as soon as she saw him, Lisanna wrestled out of the black exceed's grip and lunged at Natsu, effectively dragging the feline along with her. She made the pinkette fall to the ground before their eyes fixated on each other, "Finally… I get to see the real Natsu."

Natsu's eyes widened instantly. Was he seeing things? Or were those tear filled azure eyes really staring at him? Was the smile that adorned her features really hers? And was the voice that uttered his name lovingly really hers? So many questions and so little answers. Natsu was confused, to say the least. He didn't know what to do.

They gazed at each other for what seemed like hours, both not really sure of what to do. Lisanna was glad to be back home and glad to finally be this close to the real Natsu. The pinkette, on the other hand, was happy as well, although he did not know how to express his feelings. Should he hug her? Tell her he missed her? Hell, kiss her? How was he supposed to know what to do after not seeing this person for two years?

Before any of them could make a move, they were ultimately brought out of their thoughts by the people surrounding them, all of them questioning the white haired Take-Over mage if she was Earthland's Lisanna. Natsu simply stared at her from a distance, a smile covering his features when he finally made himself believe that she was the real one. That she was back.

He wanted to do everything he wanted to do when she had wrestled him to the ground. His mind would have probably made him kiss her as well, and he had a hunch that she wouldn't have minded it. But Lisanna had more important matters to attend to and both he and she, albeit begrudgingly, knew it. She had to go to her brother and sister. She had to tell them that she was alive and that she was back. She couldn't allow her family to suffer any more because of her. He accepted all of this and he wouldn't have wanted her to do anything else.

As she was making her way towards where Mira and Elfman were, she realized something, same as Natsu. Both of them realized how stupid they were for choosing to let each other go just after their reunion after two years. Natsu cursed at himself for believing that this Lisanna wasn't the real one back in Edolas' Fairy Tail's base and Lisanna frowned at herself for not allowing the meeting between them at first.

Not anymore though. Her being drawn into the anima together with the rest of Earthland's Fairy Tail and the exceed was something neither he nor she expected. They were completely blindsided, although in a good way. Now they knew that, even if she had to meet her family, they had all the time in the world to repair what was left of their relationship and build a new atop the rubble.


	3. C for Confusion

_**A/N:** Yo! It seems I'm keeping up with the schedule for three chapters now. Heh, wonder if I can do more. I'm trying._

_First off: I'm extremely grateful for the positive reviews this fic has been getting. Seriously, me being called a great writer and this fic being called one of the best in the NaLi archive is something I didn't expect to be said. You guys are all awesome!_

_Secondly: This is more or less a rant. I will not make Natsu ignorant towards Lisanna like he was in the canon. That would make no sense. I mean, come on, what the hell. How can he basically ignore the person that was with him during his childhood and who basically told him she loved him? That's just friggin' stupid! By the way, Mashima sucks. I might receive some hate because of this this, but, hell, I don't care. Mashima was awesome for creating Fairy Tail, but the way it has been going... it just sucks. Destroying so many fights, too much Nakama shit, characters not getting enough air time, the timeskip and the things that don't make sense after it happened... that's bad. How can you create such an awesome thing and then screw it up when it's almost over (at least I hope it's going to be over. I can't bear to see one of my favorite animes/mangas be destroyed like this)? It's honestly making me want to quit watching/reading it, although I won't quit my stories. Hell no._

_Oh, and Gajeel/Cana should be a thing. Just saying._

_Anyway, enough of my little whining spree and on with the chapter, shall we?_

* * *

_**The ABCs of Natsu and Lisanna**_

* * *

_**C for Confusion**_

* * *

The mage guild that resided in Magnolia, Fairy Tail, was buzzing with life. Drinks were being served, people were shouting, eventually fights broke out, chairs flew, tables were destroyed, the entire building was damaged… nothing unusual for the usually rowdy guild. The parties have been especially wild ever since the youngest Strauss sibling returned from her two years of living in Edolas.

The only strange thing was Fairy Tail's pink haired Dragon-Slayer who seemed to be deeply lost in his own thoughts while sitting near a table, supporting his head with his hand. It was rather unusual for the Dragon-Slayer to not participate in these kinds of festivities, even more so because this occasion was special. People had actually started to get worried about the pinkette and asked him whether he might be sick but he simply ignored them.

Natsu was… confused. Yet again, the pinkette found himself thinking about Lisanna and wondering what he should do. He knew that he should be happy and join the fun, he just couldn't find the energy in him to make himself stand up and join in the fray.

He was thinking about his next move. What should he do? The white haired Take-Over mage has been back for two weeks already and she and Natsu had barely spoken since. Sure, Natsu understood that she was probably spending time with her family and he respected that, but whenever she was inside the guild she wouldn't even spare him a single glance. It was like he was invisible, like their reunion never happened. He didn't want to believe it, but was Lisanna… avoiding him?

He scratched his head and pulled some of his hair out before groaning and smashing his head against the table. He wasn't smart, he knew it, but you'd think he would be able to understand such a simple thing as women. Wait, since when were women simple? They weren't. He couldn't understand what was happening in Happy's head sometimes, how in the seven hells was he supposed to know what she was thinking?

He was brought out of his musings when an annoyed Lucy sat down near the table across him, "God they are getting annoying. You'd think that after two weeks of brawling, drinking and property damage they'd get tired… or at least broke enough to stop. I can't understand where these people get their energy from." She rambled with a sigh, further intensifying Natsu's headache.

The Dragon-Slayer simply shrugged before placing his hands on the table and resting his head atop of them. He sighed tiredly; he really couldn't handle this stuff right now, "Natsu? Are you alright?" He heard Lucy's voice once more.

"I'm fine, Lucy. Guess I'm just tired after the last job." He said, lying about actually breaking a sweat taking out simple bandits. As if ten weak criminals could make him break a sweat, much less harm him in any way possible.

"Are you sure? I mean, you're pretty much always psyched when something like this happens. I thought you'd be in the middle of all this." She said, making the pinkette sigh, '_You complain about this and want me to join? I'll never be able to understand women… ever._' He thought in annoyance.

"Aye." Happy's voice rung out before the blue feline flew over to their table, "Natsu's just depressed because Lisanna's been ignoring him!" The exceed announced happily, not knowing that he was agitating the pinkette further by making a tick mark form on his head. The feline took out a raw salmon, "Natsu, do you want some fish? Maybe that will make you feel better!"

The Slayer sighed again before raising his head to answer the exceed. What he didn't expect was a chair hitting him directly on the forehead and making him fly across the guild's hall. Natsu scratched his head with a groan before glaring at the crowd of fighting mages, "Who the hell did that?!" He shouted out before he noticed the grinning expressions of Gajeel and Gray, "You bastards…" He growled out as multiple tick marks made themselves known on his head and his grin became twisted. He ignited his fists on fire before flames spewed from his feet and propelled him into the fray.

Lucy sighed as an explosion rocked the guild's building. Just when she thought that the guild would be saved without Natsu destroying everything Gray and Gajeel had to pull that little stunt. Typical. Now she'll have to pitch in for guild repairs. How in the hell was she going to pay her rent for this month?!

* * *

Natsu sighed tiredly as he fell down on the grass near the old oak tree in Magnolia's park. He hissed loudly when his elbows touched the ground. Damn, he hadn't been in this good of a fight in forever, even his hair was sore. Gajeel and Gray sure did put up a fight, he was glad the two didn't intend to tag-team him otherwise he would've been minced meat, although he'd never admit it for his dear life.

The fight had gotten a bit out of hand with the three of them demolishing the inside of the building and ripping its roof completely off; courtesy of two Dragon-Slayers taking a fight seriously. The fact that they can wreck some havoc was proven when the two fought during Phantom's attack on Fairy Tail, and back then they weren't as strong as they were now. Add to the fact that the Ice-Mage was there as well didn't make it any better for the guild or its members. Natsu scratched his head in thought; he wondered how much he'd have to pay for repairs this time.

'_Whatever, I'll just go on a few jobs and it'll be A-Okay!_' He thought, pushing the matter aside into the farthest reaches of his mind.

Then he realized something. He still hadn't talked to Lisanna properly after she returned. She had been so… distant. Yet he couldn't blame her. For Mira's and Elfman's sake she had to stay with them. They haven't seen their youngest sister in two years, after all. That still didn't mean that he had to like it.

He frowned as he thought about the two weeks that had passed without them talking. He was confused. He didn't know what to do next and, if she was the one to talk to him first, what should he say? Natsu was a sociable and easy to talk to person, no one could argue with that, but, truthfully, he didn't have a clue as to what he should say to her.

Suddenly, Natsu felt a weak bump on his head and was forced to open his eyes. His gaze locked on the white haired girl standing above him, staring at him with her bright blue orbs, "Hey." She said with a smile before taking a seat next to him.

Natsu froze at the sight of her before shaking his head slightly and furrowing his eyebrows, '_This is not the time for me to get cold feet. Move, damn it!_' He yelled at himself in his mind before he hunched forward and supported his upper part's weight with his elbows… even though it hurt like hell, "What's up?"

She pulled her legs close to her chest and wrapped her hands around them while resting her head on her knee, "Well, Elf-nii and Mira-nee wanted to go back to the guild. We saw the state It was in and… well… I wanted to find the cause of that." She said, glaring slightly at the pinkette before chuckling at his childish pout.

"The ice stripper and metal freak started it first!" He whined, making the Strauss shake her head with a smile on her features.

"Whatever the case may be, you shouldn't fight… inside the guild, at least." She said before pinching his cheek.

Natsu winced as he felt his cheek being pinched, "F-fine…" He grumbled, a small blush forming on his cheeks, making the white haired girl chuckle at his expense. An awkward silence ensued between the two for a few minutes before Natsu gulped down and decided to talk, "So…uh… what else's up?" He asked awkwardly.

Lisanna stayed quiet for a second before resting her head on her knee again, "I just wanted to talk to you." She said, making the pinkette quirk a curious eyebrow.

"What about?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. Anything, really… it's just been such a long time since we talked."

"Aye." The Slayer replied solemnly with a nod, careful not to mess up the alone time he had finally got to spend with his childhood friend.

"So… how's the guild been holding up these past two years? I noticed there were new members. Lucy was there too! My, she's really different from her Edolas counterpart." She said with a glance at the pinkette from the corner of her eye.

"Yes, she really is different." Natsu chuckled slightly, remembering all the times he had been held in a choke-hold by Edo Lucy, "I found Lucy in Hargeon when I was following up on a lead on Igneel."

Now it was Lisanna's turn to quirk an eyebrow, "How did that go?"

The Dragon-Slayer sighed and shook his head slowly, "It was a bust. All I found there was Lucy and an impostor calling himself 'Salamander' who had been into slave trading."

"Slave trading?" The white haired girl gasped, "What happened?"

"What do you think? The sucker is probably rotting in a jail somewhere." Natsu said with a grin.

Lisanna smirked at the pinkette, "Yes, that's what he deserves." She said before frowning as she remembered what Natsu had told her about Igneel. She turned to her right side and bent slightly closer towards Natsu, surprising him. Their eyes locked before she spoke, "Natsu… you know that I won't leave you again, right?"

The Dragon-Slayer's eyes went wide at her words as he realized their true meaning. Silence ensued once more for a few moments before the pinkette smirked, "Yeah, I know." He replied, making the youngest Strauss sibling smile at his words. Her smile widened before she lied down near Natsu and closed her eyes.

The pinkette stared at her lying form in confusion, "Lisanna…?"

"Shhh…" She interrupted him, "Just stay like this for a while, okay?"

Natsu almost instantly smiled at her words. Yes, he would stay like this. He would stay like this for more than a while if he could, but he knew he'd have to account for the damage he did to the guild. He frowned at the thought before sighing and lying down on the grass himself. He placed his arm near Lisanna and she rested her head on the appendage, using it as a pillow.

"I missed you, you know…" She whispered, her eyes still closed.

"Aye, I missed you too." He replied before turning his head and looking at her. He chuckled when he noticed that she was already fast asleep and snoring silently.

Natsu turned back to the sky and stared at the setting sun and the orange glow it emitted. He smiled fondly, happy that he was able to spend time with her and talk to her like this. He hoped that, in the future, more moments like these would engulf the both of them. He hoped that nothing would ever separate them again. No, he knew nothing would because he wouldn't let it.

No matter what happened, Natsu was going to keep her here, in Eartland. She would be safe, with her family, and with him.


	4. D for Dragon

_**A/N: **This feels rushed. So, so rushed. I'm going to have to do better on the next chapter, won't I? Oh, speaking of which, the next chapter will probably be a few days late due to the fact that I've caught the stupid flu. Well... I've had it for almost a week now, but whatever bug I've caught doesn't want to go away and is making my life miserable, so... bear with me while I exterminate this shit out of my system, kaay?_

* * *

_**The ABCs of Natsu and Lisanna**_

* * *

_**D for Dragon**_

* * *

It had been three days after Natsu and Lisanna had finally talked ever since she returned from Edolas. Things between the two had slowly gotten better as they now talked almost every day. On the next day of their talk, the two took Happy fishing and Natsu managed to catch loads of fish for Happy, just like old times. Suffice it to say, he was glad they did go there, it was long overdue.

The two were now walking along a path on the outskirts of Magnolia. Natsu had taken a job to exterminate a dark guild and Lisanna asked him if she could come with. She wanted to readjust to the flow of things by trying out a job or two but Mira had insisted she went with someone, specifically Natsu, just in case she had become rusty while not being able to use magic in Edolas for two years.

The Dragon-Slayer was slightly surprised by Lisanna's request but accepted her offer almost instantly. He figured it would be a chance for them to spend some more time together, plus he would ultimately be helping her get used to the way this world worked again. He did, however, consider the risks. What if, by any chance, they encountered something that Natsu and Lisanna couldn't handle and she ended up dead? What would he do then? What would he tell her siblings?

When he brought that to Lisanna's attention, she instantly smacked him upside the head, "Are you telling me you would have gone on a job that you can't handle by yourself and gotten yourself killed? You idiot!" She shouted in his face, continuously smashing his head as she did so, "Are you telling me that you dying while I'm safe and sound in the guild is okay?" She kept on scolding the pinkette, making him wince at the violence against his head before he actually fell to his knees and apologized. Lisanna had sighed at his reaction and smacked him against his head once more, saying that he shouldn't even go on a job he couldn't handle. She said she wouldn't leave him before, but now she had to remind him that that goes both ways. If he wanted her to not leave him, he would have to do the same.

Natsu had smiled at her words and nodded to her in affirmation. He wouldn't leave her, never in his life. And if something actually went wrong on the job, he'd protect her while protecting himself at the same time. He couldn't get reckless and die, not after promising not to.

The two strolled through the path until it branched out. Judging by the smell, Natsu figured the dark guild had been in the forest west of where they currently were. He didn't know that guild's scent in particular, but dark guilds always had this stench… this reek of death, something Natsu could discern even with the flu. Lisanna trusted his judgment and followed the pinkette west, remembering that the noses of Dragon-Slayers could put any animal to shame.

They kept following the path until they reached the forest. The two mages noticed how… different it got. Dark, sinister and almost evil. Natsu couldn't feel a single animal nearby and that made him worry. Animals, especially the big ones like Vulkans and the like, never got so scared that they'd run away, not from the guys they were going to teach a lesson to. Something felt off. He glanced towards Lisanna and noticed that she was suspicious as well, but continued on her way. The Slayer shrugged, thinking that, whatever it was, they could handle it.

After a few hours of walking in silence, Natsu and Lisanna had finally reached their destination; an old, large castle-like structure. The place was almost barren with rotten trees surrounding the area. Natsu had to keep himself from puking at all the dead things he smelled; he really did hate his enhanced senses sometimes. He turned back and nodded towards the white haired girl in gratitude when he felt her pat his back in worry.

He stared at the dark guild's main entrance before snarling, "I'm going to trash this place." He growled out and, before Lisanna could even say anything, flames spewed from his feet and he launched himself directly at it, busting the doors down with a _**Karyū no Tekken (Fire Dragon's Fist)**_, effectively creating a large explosion in the vicinity and making screams of pain reverberate through the castle.

Lisanna sighed tiredly at Natsu's antics. She couldn't believe that, even after two years, Natsu was still this impatient. They could have formed a plan before attacking, like attack from different sides or at least not through the main gate! But no, Natsu had to do this the hard, explosive way. Who was she kidding, this couldn't have gone any other way. This was Natsu who she was talking about, after all.

The Strauss used her Take-Over magic and changed into her Tigress form. She sighed yet again before propelling herself into the fray to join Natsu.

As she entered, she noticed that more than half of the guild was already destroyed. She sweatdropped before attacking a group of dark mages, effectively taking the confused criminals out rather easily. The two continued their rampage in the dark castle before Lisanna felt two large forces of magical power colliding. Before the white haired girl could turn around, the ground shook violently, almost making her lose her balance, which was surprising since she was in her Tigress form. The girl glanced behind her and saw two rather large spheres of black and red magic colliding before the attacks exploded and scattered dust everywhere.

The white haired mage coughed before she managed to make out the two forms standing in front of each other as the dust cleared. She noticed that Natsu was panting slightly and glaring holes at someone who wore a black hood that covered his face, although the large, sadistic grin spread across the person's face didn't go unnoticed. Natsu lunged at the mage but was propelled back and stuck to a wall when the man raised his arm.

Lisanna furrowed her eyebrows before she attacked the mysterious person as well, "Lisanna, don't!" Natsu shouted, making her glance at his direction before she was stopped mid-flight. She turned back to the mage and saw him holding his hand up with his palm directed at her. The man's grin widened even more when he slowly clenched his hand and the white haired girl could feel her neck being crushed.

Natsu's eyes widened as he witnessed Lisanna's body slowly levitate closer to the black-clad mage's hand. Flames started collecting around his body as he could feel himself losing his temper, "Let go of her!" He shouted out. He started struggling against this man's weird magic when he noticed that he wasn't going to stop.

Just as he was about to touch her, Natsu lost it. An explosion erupted around him, effectively burning away the invisible shackles holding him. The Dragon-Slayer's body was propelled forward by the shockwave before he ignited his feet on fire and launched himself like a missile towards the dark wizard. Natsu kneed him in the face and sent him flying through the building. Before the mysterious wizard even knew what hit him, a hand grasped his face and smashed the back of his head against the hard ground, causing another explosion to reverberate around the area.

Lisanna's feet hit the ground and she started coughing violently, trying her best to regain her breath. Glancing to the side, she saw Natsu standing atop the dark wizard's body which was lying in a crater. Natsu's whole body was on fire and she could have sworn she saw the afterimage of a massive red dragon standing above the pinkette. She was slightly startled when Natsu turned back. She noticed that his eyes had changed from his usual onyx eyes to slit brown ones.

Natsu shook his head furiously and forced himself to calm down when he noticed her terrified expression. The flames of emotion had always been hard to control, hence why he got so many bills for property damage during the jobs he took. He calmed himself before walking in her direction and, when he was finally next to her, he crouched down and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace.

"Are you alright?" He asked, sincerely worried.

Lisanna took a second to regain her bearings before replying, "Y-yeah… What was that?"

Natsu chuckled humorlessly, "Something annoying."

They stayed like this for a few moments of complete silence. Natsu had to thank the fact that he had a short temper, which allowed him to unleash his full power in such a short amount of time time. Normally, Natsu would have to build up his strength in bursts before being able to release it all, but now… he didn't even know what had come over him. He had almost blacked out when he saw what that bastard was doing to Lisanna. His instincts took over him completely. At that moment, all he could think was, '_I need to protect her._'

And he was honestly glad that whatever took over him did so. He didn't even want to consider what would have happened if he would have been unable to break free from those shackles.

Never again was he going to allow her to be susceptible to such danger. He wasn't going to allow her to disappear again, even if he had to break his promise to her in the process.


End file.
